Too Much Sex Is Killing These Male Snakes

April 6, 2017 - Watch thousands of snakes mate - an act so strenuous that it shortens the lives of the males, as recently reported by researchers including Dr. Christopher R. Friesen of the University of Sydney. Red-sided garter snakes hibernate for more than half the year and emerge from their dens in the spring ready to mate. Male snakes wait another two to four weeks before eating so that they'll be ready when the females arrive. As a result, males can go up to 8 months without eating. Combined with the intense physical exertion of the mating ball, this exhausts the males, and ultimately shortens their life. VIDEO courtesy Christopher R. Friesen, PhD, University of Sydney

Too Much Sex Is Killing These Male Snakes

April 6, 2017 - Watch thousands of snakes mate - an act so strenuous that it shortens the lives of the males, as recently reported by researchers including Dr. Christopher R. Friesen of the University of Sydney. Red-sided garter snakes hibernate for more than half the year and emerge from their dens in the spring ready to mate. Male snakes wait another two to four weeks before eating so that they'll be ready when the females arrive. As a result, males can go up to 8 months without eating. Combined with the intense physical exertion of the mating ball, this exhausts the males, and ultimately shortens their life. VIDEO courtesy Christopher R. Friesen, PhD, University of Sydney